Opposition and Funding

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Clive Durdle
Opposition and Funding

Comment in the Leith thread got me thinking!

 

Who is opposed to properly planned and designed footpaths and cycle paths?  Why?

 

How does the funding work? How much of our money is spent proportionally on roads, cyclepaths and footpaths?  Why is this split like this?

 

 

TechnoTim

We have a campaign group, created by our Town Council Highways and Footpath group and consisting of two campaigners (of which I am one, a Town Councillor, a Town Planning Forum representative and a representative of our Local Bike Shop)

Opposition for our plans is mainly from the District Council which has no Cycling Strategy but is very roads orientated, indeed cycling is seen as a leisure and sports activity and commuting by bicycle and even walking is considered either odd or not requiring investment. Opposition from our County Council is based on non allocation of any funds for use on Cycling Infrastructure.

Funding for us is supposedly restricted to Section 106 and CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) funding attached to or as a condition of Planning and built developments. Since we have none of these on the horizon this is currently a dead end. The Developer also has last say on the use of such funding, so whilst £100,ooo was earmarked for a Railway Halt adjacent to a development some 8 years ago, with Network Rail stopping that Project and the money having to be used for "Public Transport" even our application for a segregated cycle path from the Development to the Railway Station and beyond was not considered to have any link to Public Transport.

Our funding therefore has to be via the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, related to the Local Transport Plan and allocated by the Local Enterprise Partnership. We are drawing up an application which makes an excellent economic case that the project would aid the local economy based on the criteria of increased cycle commuter productivity, retail uplift for the local Town shops, the reduced health costs of fitter cyclists and attracting more tourists to the area. Our project is necessarily radical and we will seek to get the support of all cyclists, pedestrians and drivers to support it as well as support and possible sponsorship by local businesses. Once we have the support and sponsorship in place the economic CBA as well as a well costed plan for the main routes should create a viable application.

The problem we face is that we have been arbitrarily denied any access to Local Transport Plan funding. We are trying to find out why and who made this decision but it is not minuted anywhere.

I deliberately have not named the location as this is a general answer to this thread. I was also going to name some vested interests but could be accused of libel if I do.
 

Clive Durdle

A completely ad hoc process with no strategic thinking?  For example what proportion of a council's highways budget is spent on roads, pavements and cyclepaths?

Why are things as chaotic as described above?  Why is there no strategy?  Is that deliberate?  Macchiavelli?

 

Clive Durdle

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/europeangreencapital/winning-cities/2014...

 

See Copenhagen slide presentation on this page.

TechnoTim

Currently our County Council is spending millions or Direct DfT funding on a large project in the County Town and as far as we can tell nothing from Highways budget on Cycling anywhere else.

We would investigate EU funding especially as we have a close proximity to a ferry port where many cycle tourists use and we have tourist destinations on our route.

One really left field suggestion was apply for UN World Heritage Status which attracts astonishing amounts of funding.
 

Whilst London is starting to undergo a cycling transformation, slowly and piecemeal but some work is now being done, and the Government has funds for Cities, Small Towns and Rural areas are left to scrabble around for scraps.

If by some miracle (and undoubtedly hard work) we manage to get the funding to create our project we see it as an example of what can be done, an example other towns can use. Our town has horrible traffic Congestion and at least one AQMA, no cycling infrastructure at all of any use, a massive increase in cycling and resultant demand for change and no political will above Town Council level to change it.
 

Clive Durdle

Why?  What do we see that other's do not?  What do they think their role as councils is?

Would it help to describe the types of organisations involved and their relative sizes?

I found this document useful to enable change - tackle parking issues and guess what happens, cycling infrastructure gets built!

http://www.itdp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Europes_Parking_U-Turn_IT...

 

"as much as 50% of traffic congestion was caused by drivers cruising around in search of a cheaper parking space. "

 

Clive Durdle

Every car trip begins and ends in a parking space, so parking regulation is one of the best ways to regulate car use. Vehicles cruising for parking often make up a significant share of total traffic. Other reasons for changing parking policies were driven by the desire to revitalize city centers and repurpose scarce road space for bike lanes or bike parking. 

TechnoTim

Car Parking is seen as a major issue in my town. Currently there is free short term parking but commuters need long stay parking and that is limited. The councils are introducing parking permits to remove commuter cars from street parking and fine miscreants, I am currently ensuring a private car park is closed to all but intended car parking from 7am until 9.30am which will exascerbate this. I will add Parking into our initial presentations and see if that changes minds. There is nowhere for a new long stay car park to be built and current public myopism sees long stay Car Park increases as essential. Our argument will be modal shift.

I met a businessman ins suit with a basket with briefcase and laptop, commuting by bike yesterday his main gripe was not being able to pootle along so he can stay sweat free when he reaches work, our network would provide this option, but he is but the first of many. Part of the strategy is to get all businesses on board so their staff have a car free commuting option.

Clive Durdle

The document I linked to has some brilliant examples, pick them judicially and present them with some tech kit they will love, make sure you argue for both.  Read the whole document carefully!  Think, hmm we could do that there and write up your town using those ideas.  I felt London was actually not a good example to copy after reading that!

Get that businessman on your group!

Clive Durdle

The document I linked to has some brilliant examples, pick them judicially and present them with some tech kit they will love, make sure you argue for both.  Read the whole document carefully!  Think, hmm we could do that there and write up your town using those ideas.  I felt London was actually not a good example to copy after reading that!

Get that businessman on your group!

Clive Durdle

I wonder if some form of change toolkit is needed?

What is the situation now? Are there safe route to school plans?

What is its history?

What are possible solutions?

Who can help with research? Schools, colleges, Universities, sympathetic Council Officers?

 

Use Futuresearch techniques.

My experience of sustrans and similar are they are a bit arriving from outer space, not really knowing an area and not really listening.  

 

Future search is a PLANNING MEETING that helps people transform their capability for action very quickly. The meeting is task-focused. It brings together 60 to 80 people in one room or hundreds in parallel rooms. 

Future search brings people from all walks of life into the same conversation - those with resources, expertise, formal authority and need. They meet for 16 hours spread across three days. People tell stories about their past, present and desired future. Through dialogue they discover their common ground. Only then do they make concrete action plans.

The meeting design comes from theories and principles tested in many cultures for the past 50 years. It relies on mutual learning among stakeholders as a catalyst for voluntary action and follow-up. People devise new forms of cooperation that continue for months or years.

Future searches have been run in every part of the world and sector of society.

http://www.futuresearch.net/method/whatis/index.cfm

TechnoTim

That is roughly what is planned.

  • Draw up the outline plans
  • Bring in Schools and Businesses and other related organisations, we have influential one on board already.
  • Get public support wherever possible.
  • Incorporate our plan into their relevant plans.
  • Once we have consensus, pull together the detailed funding application and push for support from the Highways Authority and local planners.
  • Alongside this, create a cycling strategy or manifesto, get all parties to sign up. It would set infrastructure standards as guidance for planners/developers/highways. We would employ best practice from everywhere we can get it.
     
Cliff Matthews

re: the issue of the business man who wants to stay sweat free which I think is an important part of getting people to cycle.

Some places of work have showers and this ought to be encouraged by planners, funding  etc. However many businesses can't or are too small. There needs to be some provision within a town. 

We have recognised this need in Ipswich and will shortly be opening a cycle cafe. One of the features will be showers and lockers so that commuters (and speed merchants) can go into work fresh.

TechnoTim

Cliff, we should meet up some time.

Our town is some twenty odd miles to your west, beyond Hadleigh.

Mind you any excuse to discuss cycling over coffee is cool.

Cliff Matthews

Tim

my e-mail is cliffjmatthews@aol.com. E-mail and I can send my mobile no. Cycle cafe will be in Tower Street, Ipswich. Come over and see us.

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